Almond Eyes
by Kaliope Agathon
Summary: Rationally, Helo knows he should not feel this way about Boomer. In his heart however he just cannot help himself. Set shortly before the mini-series.


Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica and my only gain from writing this is the loving praise of my readers *cough* ;-).

Author's note: Second installment in my Helo-series that will involve little one-shots exploring the potential of Helo's relationship to every canon character on the show. I am starting off with the more obvious characters.

**Almond Eyes**

Sharon "Boomer" Valeri was an excellent pilot. Her slender fingers danced over the controls of her raptor as she flew it back into the hangar deck. Helo could barely feel a thud as the aircraft touched the ground. Ever since he had been assigned to work with Boomer he had marvelled at her natural talent. She seemed to become one with the machine, playing with the ship's controls like a musician would play his favourite instrument. The young officer's almond shaped eyes sparkled as she turned around to grin at Helo.

Helo's own smile broadened in return. He would never admit this to anyone, but moments like this were his favourite of the day. As soon as Sharon had safely landed the raptor her attention would turn to him and for a few minutes he did not have to share her with anyone else. Sometimes they talked about the flight they had just completed. On other days they talked about their off-duty plans but most often they just engaged in friendly banter and teasing.

Sharon was definitely in a teasing mood today. Her grin seemed to grow impossibly wider as she asked "So when are you finally going to do something about that little technician who has been ogling you for weeks?" Helo frowned in confusion. "I think I would have noticed if I had been ogled by a little technician", he retorted. Sharon cocked her head to the side and winked at him.

"I doubt it. She has been more than obvious yet you never so much as look at her. Take last week for example. I swear I could see the drool dropping down her chin. Her eyes glaze over every time she spots you." By the end of her exaggerated explanation Boomer was almost shaking with suppressed laughter. Helo rolled his eyes at her melodramatic antics. His long-suffering sigh caused Boomer to finally erupt into gleeful laughter.

"I do not see why you ignore her, I honestly don't. Galactica is about to be decommissioned, there is basically nothing here for us to do except go out on routine flights. You should have some fun as long as you still have the time. Once the chapter Galactica is over, you will be transferred to who knows which ship and our days of leisure are going to be over. I don't know about you, but I plan to make the most of my days -starting right now."

Boomer was still grinning at Helo as she unbuckled her seatbelt and all but jumped off her pilot seat. The doors of the raptor were already open and with one last wink at her friend Boomer exited the aircraft, her pony-tail bobbing up and down with her bouncy motions. Helo could not help but grin as he watched her greet the crew excitedly while she quickly walked towards her destination. His smile, however, slowly faded when he saw Sharon reach Petty Officer Galen Tyrol. Clad in his orange jump-suit, the Chief looked up briefly when Boomer clapped him on the back. "Good work Chief." "Now that piece of flying wasn't at all bad."

They were following a ritual that by now, Helo was very familiar with: the exchange of pleasantries followed by a steamy kissing session in one of the little storage rooms. It was probably Galactica's worst kept secret, yet nobody ever talked about it openly. Helo was convinced that at least the XO was aware of the little romantic tryst his officers had started weeks ago. Under normal circumstances somebody would have probably reported them by now, but since Galactica was about to be taken off the market anyway, the rules had been bended lately.

He had to admit that they looked good together. Only that was not the right way to put it. Helo was not sure if he was the only one who felt this way, but whenever he saw the Chief and Boomer together, their familiarity and connection made his heart ache. There seemed to be an underlying understanding between them, a common denominator that Helo could not quite grasp. He doubted Sharon or Tyrol could either. They seemed to have been drawn to each other from the moment they met and this made it even harder for Helo to get his feelings in proper order.

The more time he had spent with Boomer, the harder he had fallen for her. A harmless infatuation had over time developed into feelings of such intensity, that Helo was almost scarred of them. Yet he could not bring himself to interfere with their relationship and when he talked to Tyrol he did not feel bitterness but rather a grudging respect. Above all, he wanted to see Sharon smile, to hear her laugh and to see her beautiful almond eyes sparkle with happiness. If Chief Tyrol was her reason for smiling Helo was not going to do anything about it.

Of course Kara had noticed. He hadn't really expected her not to. She had not said much on the topic but Helo was sure she thought him to be hopeless when it came to Sharon Valeri. On most days he was inclined to agree with her. He had always been among the tallest and strongest in school and at the academy. It had never been difficult for him to attract women; he had in fact been a very busy man during his adolescent years. And every once in a while the object of his desire had already been in a relationship with another, which she had gladly left for him. Had it been anyone else but Sharon, he probably would have tried to pursue her, regardless of whom she was seeing.

But this was Sharon. And for some reason that Helo could not really understand, this was different. He was quite sure that if being forced to choose, he would always choose her happiness above his own, even if it meant destroying himself in the process. The thought was alarming to Helo. He was no fool and could spot self-destructive behavior without having others point it out to him. Kara would have dismissed his thoughts as the ramblings of a lovesick idiot and suggested a good frak to clear his head. If only it was that simple.

"Are you planning to sleep in here tonight Agathon?" Sharon's melodic voice startled Helo out of his thoughts. He quickly recovered himself and grinned sheepishly. "Nah – just daydreaming I guess." Sharon was once again grinning like a madman as she watched Helo unbuckle and stretch his long legs. "Could these dreams possibly have involved a certain little technician?"

"All right, I give up. Where is she, what is her name and what is her bunk number?" Helo threw his hands up in mock exasperation. "That's the spirit dear Helo!" Sharon smirked approvingly. "She is right over there, see? Small, red hair, fiery disposition – I think she would be perfect for you." Helo clucked his tongue. "Sharon, Sharon, Sharon, how often must I tell you not to point at poor, innocent people." Sharon immediately bowed her head and pretended to be deeply ashamed of her antics. Helo would have almost believed her, had it not been for her tongue sticking out in his direction. He was torn between a smile and a sigh. "I think I will call it a night. I am sure the redhead will be here again in the morning. Besides, I'd rather have a voluptuous blonde." Sharon's grind widened again. "Oh, I can just see it now. A big, voluptuous blonde, clad in a skimpy red dress, her golden locks shimmering in the dim candle-light…." Helo shook his head empathically. "Boomer, you have a warped mind." He could still hear her laughing after he had reached the corridor.

With long strides he made his way towards his quarters. The more distance he put between himself and the hangar deck, the more the tension inside him seemed to loosen. He sped up his pace. The part of him that had apparently developed a fetish for torture was yearning to be with her. He could have stayed and let himself be teased by her forever. However, the part in him that was all for self preservation was urging him to keep himself out of her reach. For the moment the latter part seemed to prevail. Had it been the other way around Helo doubted that he would have even be able to fall asleep at night.

With a sigh Helo pushed the curtains of his bed aside and dropped down into his bunk. The day had been long and suddenly all his energy seemed to have left him. He propped his arm behind his head and closed his eyes. Soon his breathing became even and as he slowly faded into a dreamless sleep a last image flashed before his inner eyes. It was an image he was very familiar with:

Sparkling, almond shaped eyes.


End file.
